PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing for Naper Commons located on Lot 4 at the northwest corner of Naperville and Warrenville Roads, Naperville, PZC 20-1-086 (Item 1 of 3)
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Scott Williams, AICP
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for PZC 20-1-086 was published in the Daily Herald on November 30, 2020.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is approximately 67 acres and is currently vacant and unimproved except for the portion containing a surface parking lot that formerly served the Nokia campus and was recently platted as Lot 4 of the Nokia Campus Subdivision. At the February 19, 2020 PZC public hearing, the rezoning of Lot 4 to R2 (single family and low density multiple family residence district) was approved pursuant to Ordinance 20-036. This also included approval of a conditional use in order to establish a Planned Unit Development (PUD) on Lot 4 (Ord. 20-037). At the time, the intent of approving the PUD was to provide an additional layer of review for any future development on Lot 4 and encourage a creative and innovative development approach.
The petitioner, Pulte Home Company, LLC, proposes to construct a 241-unit mixed-residential development. Three housing lines are proposed with 66 townhome dwelling units, the Meadows housing line consisting of 130 single-family lots, and the Estates housing line comprised of 45 slightly larger single-family lots. As a part of the development request, the petitioner requests the following: a preliminary plat with deviations to reduce the interior side setbacks, reduce the front setback, and to allow eaves to encroach over the 5’ interior side public utility and drainage easements; a preliminary plat of subdivision; and a conditional use to permit single-family attached dwellings (townhomes). A concurrent stormwater deviation request will also be reviewed by City Council and a request to reduce the required amount of masonry on the townhome buildings will be reviewed by the Building Review Board.
DISCUSSION:
Preliminary PUD Plat
The petitioner requests a conditional use to permit townhomes, as well as deviations from the Municipal Code requirements for the front yard setback, the interior side yard setbacks, and to permit eaves encroachment over the side easements.
The petitioner proposes to construct three housing lines on the subject property with townhomes placed towards the front and providing an area of transition from the rest of the Nokia campus. The Meadows housing line is concentrated more towards the center of the development and around the proposed 2-acre park site. The Meadows will consist of five different floor plans with each floor plan offering not less than five different elevations to avoid monotony. At least one ranch model with a first-floor master suite is included. The Estates with the larger houses will also consist of five different floor plans with each floor plan offering not less than five different elevations to also avoid monotony. This housing line will mostly abut common open space including Forest Preserve District land. One and even two-story front porches will be a common feature for both housing lines.
Per Section 6-4-3:3 (Planned Unit Developments: Design Standards and Criteria), outdoor common areas are required in planned unit developments as a means of passive or active recreation, site amenity, environmental protection, or beautification. In this particular case because single-family attached dwellings are present, staff has required the petitioner to provide at least 30% open space based on the overall area including the single-family lots.
The proposed development provides 30% open space in the form of passive green space around the townhomes, preserved wetlands, and stormwater management areas featuring native plantings with paths leading to overlooks. Sidewalks and a pathing system will interconnect these open areas and lead into the Danada Forest Preserve trail system. Staff would like to note that the linear park does not count towards the PUD open space requirements since it will be dedicated to the Naperville Park District in partial satisfaction of the required park donation. When taking this into account, only the minimum open space is being provided.
Staff Analysis
Per Section 6-4-2 (PUD: Purpose and Intent) of the Naperville Municipal Code, the purpose of the PUD regulations is to provide an alternate zoning procedure under which land can be developed with innovation, imagination, and creative architectural design. The objective of the planned unit development is to encourage a higher level of design and amenity than is possible to achieve under otherwise applicable zoning regulations. The planned unit development is intended to permit and encourage such flexibility and to accomplish the following purposes:
1. To stimulate creative approaches to the residential, commercial and industrial development of land.
2. To provide more efficient use of land.
3. To preserve natural features and environmental resources, and provide outdoor common area, open space and recreation areas in excess of that required under existing zoning regulations.
4. To develop new approaches to the living environment through variety in type, design and layout of residential structures, commercial and industrial buildings, transportation systems, and public facilities.
5. To unify buildings and structures through design.
The petitioner has noted the PUD requirements are achieved through the development’s
“open-space centric” approach which features common open space as well as proximity to the Forest Preserve District.
While staff finds these elements beneficial, the analysis above finds that the open space provided is not in excess of that required per Code as required per #3 above. In addition, staff supports a mixed-use residential development, but does not find that the proposed design necessarily represents a creative approach or unique design. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for amending a PUD are attached. Upon review, staff finds that the Petitioner should incorporate additional design elements into the proposed development to satisfy the PUD standards required per Code. Staff has discussed this with the Petitioner, but they do not agree with staff’s findings and have requested to move forward with the development as proposed.
Preliminary Plat of Subdivision
In order to plat the 191 lots and 8 outlots, the petitioner requests approval of a preliminary plat of subdivision. Staff finds that the proposed preliminary plat of subdivision meets all technical requirements for approval. It should be noted that the subdivision is not reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Information on the preliminary plat of subdivision is provided for reference; the request will be reviewed by City Council at a subsequent meeting date.
Conditional Use for Single-Family Attached Units
The petitioner requests approval of a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units in R2 pursuant to Section 6-6C-3 (R2 District: Conditional Uses). The petitioner is proposing to construct 16 one and two-story townhome buildings for a total of 66 units. First floor master bedrooms will also be incorporated into the floor plans. The townhomes will be located adjacent to the Nokia campus as well as the existing Danada Woods Townhomes Subdivision located towards the front of the development.
The number of dwelling units within each building varies (note: the attached elevations provide an example of a 5-unit townhome building); some of the buildings proposed within this portion of the development will include 2-unit buildings (i.e., duplexes) which are permitted by right in R2. Per the recent text amendment approved pursuant to Ordinance 20-124, the same bulk requirements are applied to both the proposed duplex and townhome units.
The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a conditional use are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Front Setback Deviation
The petitioner requests approval to reduce the required front setback for all lots from 25’ to 20’ as specified in Section 6-6C-7 (R2 District: Yard Requirements) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH6REDI_ARTCR2SIMILODEMUMIREDI_6-6C-7YARE>. This request does not apply to curvilinear lots in order for this lot type to meet the R2 lot width requirement of 50’. This deviation is requested with the intent of reducing private open space to permit larger communal areas and common open space. When factoring in the housing lines featuring 1 and 2-story porches, the petitioner has indicated that this arrangement will help to facilitate neighborhood interaction and promote a sense of community.
Given the layout and features of the subdivision, staff does not anticipate that the deviation will alter the essential character of the area or be a detriment to the adjacent residential properties which are not fronted by any of the proposed lots. Staff would like to note that the Danada Woods Townhomes R3A/PUD, pursuant to Ordinance 99-064, has a required front setback of 21’. The proposed setback is generally consistent with this dimension. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Side Setback Deviation
Also per Section 6-6C-7 (R2 District: Yard Requirements), the interior side yard requirement is a total of 16’ for 2 side yards with each side yard being a minimum of 6’. The petitioner requests two deviations: a 5’ minimum side yard for the Meadows for a total of 10’ and a 7’ minimum side yard for the Estates for a total of 14’. The petitioner provides similar justification as was made with the front setback deviation request and notes that no obstructions (window wells, a/c, etcetera) will be permitted in the side yards, and the space gained from the deviations was applied to common open space.
Upon review, staff is agreement with the petitioner’s findings for the Estates housing lines which exceeds the 6’ minimum interior side setback. This means the homes would have a minimum distance separation of 14’ which staff find sufficient.
For the Meadows housing lines, staff is not supportive of the 5’ interior side setbacks. Since a 5’ utility easement is required along side property lines and no structures are permitted to encroach into an easement area, the 5’ setback is expected to cause conflicts with the housing to be built (see eaves encroachment below). A 5’ setback will additionally not allow for any location of air conditioning units or window wells along the side of the home, thereby requiring their location in the rear of the property (which is often no preferred by homeowners). The petitioner also mentions certain floor plans will have code complaint widths on the Meadows lots. Upon review, staff disagrees with the petitioner’s findings for the Meadows housing lines, and the petitioner’s findings are attached to the staff report.
Eaves Encroachment Deviation
Per Section 6-2-3:3.1 (Yard Requirements: Permitted Obstructions) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH2GEZOPR_6-2-3YARE>, eaves are permitted to encroach into the required interior side setback. The petitioner requests approval to encroach over the 5’ side yard easements which is also not permitted per Section 6-2-3:5.3. The deviation is sought for the 51’ wide Meadows lots where the homes will range from 37’ to 40’ wide. When factoring in the eaves for the 40’ wide homes, the total width then becomes 42’. The degree of the encroachment is proposed for 6” on each side. Staff finds that this deviation is directly based on the previous side yard setback deviation with the wall of the Meadows homes setback 5’, then the eaves project a further 6”. Staff does not support this deviation.
If the PZC does support the 5’ side yard setback request noted above, staff recommends that the PZC include a condition that the homes to be constructed in all portions of the proposed development are required to include eaves as an architectural feature, but that said eaves cannot encroach into the required easement. This will cause the petitioner to adjust the home design and/or setbacks accordingly; however, staff does not support construction of the homes without eaves as this is aesthetically undesirable.
Elevations & Masonry Variance
The petitioner is proposing to construct 16 townhome buildings with siding that is comprised of LP Smartside. The petitioner is seeking to vary from the masonry request in order to make the townhomes elevations consistent the rest of the development. The siding on the first story is traditional (horizontal) in style, while the siding on the second story contains horizontal and some vertical-accent styles.
The intent of the masonry ordinance is to improve the appearance of multiple-family dwellings, single-family attached dwellings and two-family dwelling developments and maintain long-term property values through the use of high quality building materials including solid masonry, face brick, and manufactured concrete stone veneer. The petitioner is requesting a waiver to the masonry requirements noting they plan on using material to provide a traditional look that is specially treated for durability purposes while also providing a less expensive new construction option for a home buyer. This will make the elevations of the townhomes more consistent with the siding of the single-family homes located in the rest development.
A variance to Section 5-2C-3 falls under the purview of the Building Review Board and will reviewed by the BRB on the same date- December 16th. The requests will be heard by City Council at a subsequent meeting date yet to be determined.
Variance to the Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements
Section 5-7-1 of the Naperville Municipal Code requires storm water systems to be designed in accordance with the City of Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements. Per Section 5-7-2:5, any modification from the requirements of the storm water design may require approval of a variance upon recommendation by the City Engineer.
The Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements sets design requirements for stormwater facilities including detention basins. Section 2.5.4.3 of the Manual allows a maximum depth of stormwater storage in a detention basin of 6.0 feet. This depth is measured from the normal water elevation to the design high water elevation. The proposed development basin will require 7.4 feet of depth in order to provide additional storage, maintain conveyance of offsite flows, and preserve the existing overflow elevation.
Conclusion
Staff is supportive of a residential use at the subject property and certain elements of the proposal. With the original rezoning, a PUD was approved not only to allow for additional staff review, but to facilitate a development with a creative approach or unique design.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner is requesting a major change to approve a PUD plat with deviations to reduce the front setback and to reduce the interior side setback and to permit eaves encroachment over the side easements.
• The petitioner also requests a conditional use to permit single-family attached units in R2 District.
• Staff finds that the mixed-residential development should be more creative to address PUD standards.
• Staff is not supportive of interior side yard setbacks on the Meadows lots or the requested eaves encroachment.
Related Items
The following agenda items are related to PZC 20-1-086:
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• Consider Naper Commons Preliminary PUD and approval of a PUD Plat with deviations to reduce the required front yard setbacks, to reduce the required interior side yard setbacks, and to permit eaves encroachment over the side easements for Lot 4 of the subject property located at the northwest corner of Naperville and Warrenville Roads - PZC 20-1-086 (Item 2 of 3)
• Consider a conditional use for single-family attached units for Lot 4 of the subject property located at the northwest corner of Naperville and Warrenville Roads (Naper Commons) - PZC 20-1-086 (Item 3 of 3)